Articles Found in This Issue
Clean Your Credit Report - (StatePoint) It’s time for the annual ritual of deep cleaning, dusting, mopping, organizing—and checking your credit report. Experts recommend checking your credit report at each of the national credit reporting agencies (CRAs) several times annually. Why? When you apply for a new credit card or car loan, for example, a lender pulls a credit report… Read More »Clean Your Credit Report
Lady Madonna: The Beatles, May 1968 - From their earliest days of international stardom, the Fab Four never failed to acknowledge the early influences of America’s greatest rock pioneers—Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Buddy Holly. However, one of the recording superstars often overlooked during interviews was Antoine “Fats” Domino.
Simple Video Calling Devices for Tech-Challenged Seniors - Video chatting is a great way to stay connected and keep tabs on an elder parent when you can’t be there. Various products on the market today offer simple video calling for seniors who are unfamiliar or uncomfortable with technology. 
Former Montana Senator Carol Juneau, Board Member of Big Sky 55+
Senior Advocates for Montana: Big Sky 55+ - Montana has the third oldest population in the country, behind New Hampshire and Maine. Just as surprisingly, Montana has not had a group that advocates for senior issues for about 10 years, when the Montana Senior Citizens Organization fell by the wayside. Over the course of the past year, a group of resourceful seniors, led by Northern Plains Resource Council stalwart Pat Sweeney, have been forming a group to advocate for senior issues—Big Sky 55+.
Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, Montana, USA. Photo © by Steve Hillebrand, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Nature On the Wing: Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge - Anyone traveling near the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge this summer will be richly rewarded by stopping and spending several hours walking the trails leading from one diverse habitat to another.
Photo by Suzanne Waring
Great Falls’ House Museum Open this Summer - Dedicated to one of Montana’s early pioneers, the Brother Van House in Great Falls examines an important aspect of Montana history.
Keeping the Wild in Montana: Through the Eyes of Photographer Donald M. Jones - You may not know Donald M. Jones personally, but if you live in the West (especially Montana), chances are you’re familiar with his work. 
Photo © Age Photography, Bigstock.com
Thieves - Folks who make their living tending cattle are good observers. They notice little things: a buck deer that has been around forever, a robin who, year in year out, builds her nest above the shop door. They know spring is just around the corner when they see a Killdeer running up and down the road to the cattle’s feeding ground. And they know about the four-legged thieves—calves looking for a bag full of milk with four spigots.
Korzac's life-size sculpture on which the gigantic mountainside sculpture under construction since 1947 is based. Photo by Alice H. Dunn
Crazy Horse Memorial: A Great Destination - A gigantic sculpture of Lakota Chief Crazy Horse riding his pony gradually emerges from the mountain in the southwest corner of South Dakota, about 25 miles southwest of Rapid City near Custer. Continuously under construction since 1947, the sculpture is far from complete.
Photo © Landio, Bigstock.com
Should I Hire A Photographer? - Always consider hiring a photographer for key events in your life. Photographers are much more than “that person with the camera.” Photographers are artists, and perhaps more important, storytellers. 
Photo © Gilotyna, Bigstock.com
You Can Still Build Muscle If You Tire Your Muscles with Training - It doesn’t matter how old you are; you can still build muscle. Studies have shown that even people in their 90’s can build bulk and strength if they lift weights.
Photo © Style-Photographs, Bigstock.com
Music Brings Back Memories: Seniors Dance for Fun and Fitness - The rules are simple in Cyndi Dorber’s line-dancing classes. Show up. Move. Have fun.
Photo © Montana Alzheimer's Association
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month - The impact of Alzheimer's is profoundly felt throughout the state. Currently in Montana, 20,000 people are living with Alzheimer’s with an estimated 5.7 million across the country. The Alzheimer’s Association® urges individuals throughout Montana to get involved and raise awareness about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Photo © Caltech
Glowing Contact Lens could Prevent Leading Cause of Blindness - Hundreds of millions of people suffer from diabetes worldwide, putting them at risk for a creeping blindness, or diabetic retinopathy, that comes with the disease in its more advanced stages. Existing treatments, though effective, are painful and invasive, involving lasers and injections into the eyeball. Caltech graduate student Colin Cook (MS ‘16) thinks there’s a better way.
Photo © Jacob Lund, Bigstock.com
Is Your Blood Pressure Too High? - If you’re unsure what your blood pressure levels should be, you’re not alone. Recent changes in the hypertension guidelines made by the American Heart Association and the American College Cardiology mean that roughly 30 million more Americans than previously thought are now considered to have high blood pressure (hypertension). According to the new guidelines, anyone with a blood pressure reading above 130/80 is considered to have high blood pressure.
Photo © TopKatai, Bigstock.com
New Shingles Vaccination - If you’re 50 or older, a new shingles vaccine is on the market that’s far superior to the older vaccine, so now is a great time to get inoculated. Here’s what you should know.
© Sergey Furtaev, Bigstock.com
Montana’s Suicide Battle — A Major Health Issue - The elderly population makes up 12 percent of the overall population of the U.S. and 18 percent of all suicide deaths. With the baby boomer generation aging well into the 50-plus age range, we are looking at a major public health issue. According to the Montana Department of Health and Human Services, the highest rate of suicide occurs among middle-aged adults. 
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What’s SUP, Folks? - Stand-Up Paddle boarding is great for seniors because it’s easy on the joints and works your core muscles and back as well as your arms and legs
© Flynt, Bigstock.com.
“Extra Help” Program Helps Seniors with Medication Costs - A low-income subsidy program called Extra Help can assist seniors on a tight budget with paying for their premiums, deductible, and co-payments in their Medicare (Part D) prescription drug plan.
Jacob McNulty of Montana welds former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell's initials into the keel of the submarine Montana (SSN 794). It is the second namesake warship for the Treasure State.
Navy Submarine Montana (SSN 794) Anointed - The second warship to ever bear the name of our state—the Montana (SSN 794)—was anointed in May with a proper Native American blessing. The ship’s sponsor, former Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, chalked her initials onto a steel plate. “We celebrate the tradition of the keel laying and look forward to blessing her, christening her, and ensuring that the natural beauty, rich culture, and spirit of the great state of Montana accompany the ship and crew throughout her lifetime.”Montana’s Blackfeet Reservation - The Blackfeet Reservation in northwestern Montana, just east of Glacier National Park, is the 13th largest reservation in the U.S. at about 1.5 million acres. Roughly 85 percent of the residents are Native Americans.
Photo by Gail Jokerst
When It Comes to Speed, No Creature Matches the Peregrine Falcon - Plunging into a vertical dive, called a stoop, and clenching its talons, the peregrine falcon streaks towards its target at speeds clocked between 180 and 240 mph. According to Jay Sumner, a falconer and raptor researcher, the impact of the blow approximates a 600-pound weight falling from the sky.
Photo by Gail Jokerst
Musician and Fiber Artist Joan Renne: Making Each Moment Count - When considering her approach to weaving or to music, one thing remains constant for Joan Renne—the value of improvising.“
Book Review: Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can’t Take to the Bank - Rats, Mice and Other Things You Can’t Take to the Bank is a collection of essays by award-winning columnist Leslie Handler, in which she shares her life story. “I was born, and now I’m old. The end….There’s been a whole lot of stuff in between.” That stuff in between makes up this wonderful collection of essays as Handler reaches out to, and connects with, her readers.
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HiHo Silver: It’s OK to Go Gray - My mom was a 1945 war bride and raised me to believe that letting your hair go gray was as close as a woman could come to committing beauty suicide. Four years ago, my brother and I realized she was the only resident in her nursing home with brown hair. I was responsible for scheduling her hairdresser appointments and decided it was time for her hair color to be natural, despite her past sentiments on the subject. What eventually enabled me to go natural was the honesty required when seeing myself in a mirror.
Merilee Rush & the Turnabouts: Angel of the Morning - In 1968, songwriter Chip Taylor received a phone call from Seattle, saying Merilee Rush and the Turnabouts had cut his song "Angel in the Morning." Rush’s disc went Top Five in Seattle then spread rapidly across the country.
Photo by Holly Endersby
Sipping Summer Wines - Now that the warm days and long twilights of summer are here, we can relax with a wonderful glass of wine on the deck or patio. This is also the time to relax the rule on room temperature reds and enjoy the cooling pleasure of lightly chilled ones, along with some delightfully refreshing whites and rosé.
Photo by Steve Heikkila
Glorious Fruit Tart For Grownups - Tarts are way sexier than pie. Think about it. Pies are demure and dowdy. There’s good stuff in there, but it’s all hidden away under the hood. Tarts are more seductive. They don’t hide the goods. They’re right out there on display. A tart is a bikini to pie’s 19th-century bathing costume. It’s like a beautiful flower in full bloom, advertising to the bees “come and get it!”
Fourteen years ago, Shirley Tonkin was faced with aging and two abrupt changes in her life. She moved into a one-level condo with accommodations where she still lives today. Photo by Suzanne Waring
Does Your Home Fit You? - Despite aging and physical disability, Shirley Tonkin has been able to live independently in the one-level condo she moved into 14 years ago. "I have access to all areas of my home and garage, and I still drive a car with a hand brake,” she said. “I recommend that others consider their options in time to make their own decisions concerning accommodations that will fit them as they age.”
© Allexxandar, Bigstock.com
Montana—Our Treasured State - For a place to be called “home,” it needs to be more than a place to tie your horse to a hitchin’ post and pitch your tent, or a railway stop at the end of the line. Montana offers a variety of opportunities and experiences coinciding with the awe and wonder of nature—it's a place where people realize that earning a good living is not as important as the experience of true living—the way it was meant to be.
SNAP Critical for Montana Seniors - Despite lifetimes of work and contributions to their families, communities, and this state, too many seniors in Montana have limited and fixed incomes and struggle to keep up with the costs of medication, housing, utilities, and food. For these seniors, the modest benefits provided by SNAP supplement their incomes and help them afford adequate and nutritious diets.
© Chuck Overton, Bigstock.com
Lewis & Clark: Oh Say Can You See…A Fiddle Tune - Fiddle music has become a central element in Fourth of July celebrations across the U.S. We can thank early advocates like Lewis & Clark, with their impromptu, July Fourth fiddle fest in 1805 on the banks of the Missouri River.
© Budabar, Bigstock.com
Senior Cats “Purrfer” Mature Households - Senior kitties are often overlooked at adoption centers and may find themselves housed in shelters for months at a time. Mature pet people will quickly form a close bond with an older, wiser kitty that offers laser-focused attention and devotion.
© picturepartners, Bigstock.com
Growing Herbs - Sage, oregano, both original and garlic chives, lemon balm, thyme, lavender, mint, and tarragon grow as perennials in our area. Growing your own herbs offer fragrance, flavor, and nutrition and are free of pesticides—offering you the outcome of great food.
